Electrolytic production of permanganates.



B. F. LOVELACE, C. E. LANNING & W. L. JUDEFIND.

ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION OF PERMANGANATES. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.2|.1918.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. LOVELACE, CH

ELECTROLYTIC PRODU ARLES E. LANNING, AND WILLIAM LEE JUDEFIND, OF

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

CTION 0F PERMANGANATES.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

Application filed January 21, 1918. Serial No. 213,093. (TILED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1888, 22 STAT. L, 625.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LACE. CHARLES E. LANNING, Len JUDEI-IND, citizens of BENJAMIN F. LOVE- and WILLIAM the United States,

and residents of the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, and em States Bureau of tain new and useful Electrolytic of which the exact description.

This application is March 3, 1883, c, 143

(U. s. Stat, 22,

ployees of the United Mines, have invented cer- Improvements in the Production of Permanganates, following is a full, clear, and

made under the act of p. 625) and the discoveries described herein, if patented. maybe used b any of y the Government, or

its oiticers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States,

without the payment to them of any royalty thereon.

This invention relat es to the art of making pcrmanganates and particularly to a process for the electrolytic permanganates. The object of in a simple metals.

production of various this invention is to produce and economic manner permanthe alkali and alkaline earth As an example of an apparatus which may he used in practising this process, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing wherein the figure is a type of cell.

vertical section of one The electrolytic cell consists of two com- 1 and 2. formed by an outer container, 3, and an inner vessel, 4, which is made of porous material such as cement or asbestos, vent passage of the the outer container. placed in the inner contain manganese following elements: dcmnn and carbon, chemically or may may be prepared by a and serves as a compartment, 2. and one or more of the silicon, tungsten, molybwhich may be combined be uncombined. They dding the appropriate diaphragm to prepermanganate salt to The anodes, 5, are They amount of one or more of these elements to molten mlanganese.

A an example, 10 parts by weight of molybdenum may be weight of molten man added to 100 parts by ganese while the latter is in the furnace and the resulting melt cast in suitable shape for use as an anode.

The solution in compartment 2 should be vigorously agitated by the stirrer, 6, during the electrolysis in order continuously to secure uniform distribution of the dissolved substances. The electrolyte used in both anode and cathode compartments may consist of the hydroxid of the metal, the permanganate of which is desired. The carbonate. silicate or other salt, which, by hydrolysis, gives an excess of hydroxyl ions in solution may be employed in certain cases. Fresh electrolyte may be added from time to time to keep up the concentration as may be necessary.

\Vhen a large current is employed the solution should be cooled by any appropriate means. not shown.

In the preparation of sodium permanganate, for example, the operation is as follows:

The compartments, 1 and 2, are filled with a solution of sodium hydroxid and the solution electrolyzcd. Sodium permanganate is formed at the anode and remains in the anode compartment, 2. More sodium hydroxid may be added from time to time as may be necessary.

It is known that sodium permanganate can be produced by electrolyzing a solution of sodium hydroxid while using an anode of manganese or manganese carbid. This is disclosed in German Patent No. 125,060.

In this application we desire to claim the species of our invention in which the anode consists of manganese and molybdenum which we have found produces excellent results. In other applications Serial Nos. 213,092 and 213,094, filed concurrently herewith, we claim other species of this invention.

We claim:

1. The method of preparin a permanganate which consists in electro yzing a solution of a compound which by hydrolysis gives analkaline solution, using an anode containing manganese and molybdenum.

2. The method of preparin a permanganate which consists in electrfiyzing a solution of a hydroxid using an anode containwhich a diaphragm is placed between the ing manganese and molybdenum. anode and cathode.

3. The method of preparing an alkali per- In testimony whereof. we hereunto affix 10 manganate which consists in electrolyzing :1, our signatures. 5 solutionof alkali hydroxid, usingan anode BENJAMIN F. LOVELAOE. containing manganese and molybdenum. CHARLES E. LAN NIN G.

4:. The method according to claim 3, in WILLIAM LEE JUDE'FIND. 

